Many spent the last week remembering the life and career of Gene Hackman. In a world where Hollywood seems to offer little substance, Hackman always carried himself as a blue-collar man. He loved being an actor. And he was good at it.
But here is another side of Gene Hackman. The boy whose father abandoned him. At the time of this interview, Hackman is 71 years old. He is wildly successful, enjoying the laurels of his career. He has, according to the pattern of this world, no reason to feel any shame about his upbringing, given where he has arrived.
But fatherlessness is never solved by success.
Hackman’s tears tell the raw truth that fatherlessness lasts a lifetime.
What a great reminder that no matter how successful someone seems to be, the scars they carry can affect them for a lifetime. Everyone needs someone to walk beside them and point them towards hope.
